Also in the spotlight: Ford India to shed jobs and Canva abolishes formal office attendance rules.
Tech unicorn Canva does away with formal rules around office attendance and the British government urges companies to look into LGBT+ pay parity. Ford plans to shut down two plants in India, which will affect almost 50,000 jobs and study finds that current hybrid model of work is becoming “mechanical” and there is a lack of recognition.
Ford to shut down two Indian plants
US automaker Ford Motor Company’s decision to stop vehicle manufacturing in India has taken its workers by shock and surprise and they have approached the government for support, said a worker's union official.
The move is expected to affect nearly 45,000 to 50,000 jobs, including Ford’s own assembly lines, as well as at vendor factories, dealerships and workshops.
“We had expected the company to shut down one of the two Indian plants – Chennai or Sanand, Gujarat. The decision to close down at both the locations has come as a shock,” the Ford Union official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told Indo-Asian News Service.
Minding the LGBT+ pay gap
British companies should look into whether LGBT+ employees are being paid less than their straight counterparts, according to the government’s newly appointed LGBT business champion.
Since 2017, most businesses in England, Scotland and Wales with more than 250 employees have had to report on their gender pay gap, and firms are now moving to look at reporting on race-related wage inequalities too, reports Reuters.
Iain Anderson, who has been appointed to the new role to boost equality in the workplace, suggested that approach should also be applied to lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender workers.
Out of sight, out of mind for WFH
While the hybrid model of work is here to stay, out of sight may turn out to be out of mind for employees who continue to stick to work from home (WFH) or work remotely in the coming days, suggest pre-Covid-19 studies.
Referring to the US data, Professor Rick Smith, vice dean, education and partnerships, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, pointed out that as more women prefer to work remotely, this could lead to risk in driving disparity in terms of gender equality at the workplace.
He also pointed out that many people feel the current hybrid model of work is becoming “mechanical” and there is a lack of recognition, reports Times News Network.
Canva commits to flexible work model
Australian graphic design platform Canva has committed to a flexible work model for its employees long-term, following fellow tech unicorn Atlassian in embracing remote work.
The company has called the change part of its “long term approach to the future of work,” where it will focus on flexibility and connection and abolish any formal rules around office attendance, reports Business Insider.
In a recent announcement, the company said it won’t have strict requirements for the number of days spent in an office, but will instead empower teams to decide on the number of days employees are expected to attend work in person.
